Answer-back bell signal



p 14, 1937- c. w. BURCKY 2,093,004

ANSWER BACK BELL SIGNAL Filed 001 10, .1955

. INVENTOR A CHARLES W. BURCKY Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED lsrprrrss- ANSWER-BACK BELL SIGNAL Charles W. Burcky, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Teletype Corporation, Chicago, 111., a. corporation of Delaware Application October 10, 1935, Serial No. 44,324

11 Claims.

This invention relates to printing telegraph systems and particularly to those systems whichinclude an answer-back arrangement.

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanical system for maintaining an indicator controlling device in operation until disabled by the reception of a predetermined signal.

In printing telegraph systems it may sometimes happen that a receiving printer will fail to respond to the controlling effect of a remote transmitter with the result that a message which the operator supposes to be transmitted will not be received. The failure of the printer to record the message may result, for example, from failure of the operating motor of the receiving printer to start. In order that the operator of the transmitter may be informed as to whether or not the receiving printer begins proper operation so that it will record a message, it has been proposed to provide an answer-back arrangement by means of which mechanism contained in the receiving printer will operate in response to a predeter mined signal received from the transmitter to transmit back a signal to inform the operator that the receiving printer is operating. Arrangements for the transmission of such indications .from the receiving printer to the transmitter are disclosed in U. S. Patent 1,939,613, granted to Edward F. Watson on December 12, 1933.

Briefly, the present invention includes levers for actuating a bell and for closing a pair of contacts which complete a circuit including an indicating device at the transmitter. The lever which operates the contacts becomes latched in its operated position and remains latched to maintain the indication at the transmitter until a signal is transmitted which effects its release.

For a full and complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following 40 detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which,

Figs. 1 and 2 are two schematic views of a mechanical answer-back arrangement; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the transmitter and printer circuit.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the reference numeral l0 designates a function bail of a receiving printer which may be actuated in response to a testing signal transmitted from a telegraphic transmitter. A bell crank lever ll pivotally mounted at l2 has one end disposed in registry with the function bail Ill. The lever H supports a bell striker arm 14 at the end of which is mounted a bell striker I5 adjacent to a signai bell l6 which may be secured to a portion l8 of the frame of the printer. It is clear from an examination of Fig. 1 that when the function bail I0 is actuated so as to move the end which registers with the bell crank lever ll upwardly, the lever II will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction to cause the bell striker to strike the bell l6 and thus render an audible signal at the location of the printer.

Bell crank lever 19 is pivotally supported at 20 by-a stationary portion 22 of the printer. The end of one arm 23 of the bell crank lever I9 is disposed adjacent to the point of cooperation between the function bail I 0 and the bell crank lever H and is in alignment with the function bail I0 and the bell crank lever II so that when the function ball is actuated the bell crank lever l9 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction. The end of the other arm 24 of the bell crank lever [B is disposed adjacent to a contact spring 26 which is normally separated from. but is adapted "to engage .fixed contact 21. Counterclockwise rotation of the bell crank lever l9 causes the contact spring 26 to engage fixed contact 21 to complete a circuit which will be described later.

The fixed portion 22 of the receiving printer pivotally supports at 28 a first class lever 30 which has one end 3| provided with a shoulder 32, and

this portion of the lever is adjacent to a lug 34 carried by the arm 24 of the bell crank lever I9.

The lever 30 carries an ear 35 to which is connected one end of a tension spring36, the other end of'which is secured to the lug 34 carried by the bell crank lever IS. The lever 30 isthus kept in engagement with the lug 34 and upon counterclockwise rotation of the bell crank lever IS, the lug 34 moves toward the end 3|. of the lever 30 and in so doing, the lever 30 is permitted to engage the shoulder-32 thereof with the lug 34, thus maintaining bell crank lever IS in its operated position and the contacts 26 and 2! mutually engaged.

The end 38 of the lever 30 is disposed adjacent to a lever 39 fixed to a shaft 40. The lever 39 may be any one of several elements in a printer. For example, it'may be the spacing pawl of a printer which is an element that is actuated in response to a signal which causes an operation of the printer involving spacing to be performed, or it may be an element which is actuated upon the performance of a function involving neither printing nor spacing. Regardless of what the element 39 may be within the printer, 'it is supported by the shaft 40 which rocks in the clockwise direction upon the reception by the printer 01 a predetermined signal or signals.

Under these circumstances, the lever 39' rotates in a clockwise direction into the position shown in the dotted lines and in so doing, it engages the end 38 f the lever 30 and rotates the latter in a counterclockwise direction. The result of the rocking of the lever 30 is that the shoulder 32 is withdrawn from-engagement with the lug 34, whereupon the spring 36 rotates the bell crank lever is in a clockwise direction to its unoperated position. A tension spring 4| constantly urges the lever 39 into its unoperated position.

Referring to Fig. 3, the reference character 50 represents a telegraphic transmitter which is connected by the telegraph line to the receiving printer 52. There is located convenientto the transmitter 50 an indicator 54 which has beenshown as a lamp but which may be any other type of visible indicator or if preferred may be a device capable of giving an audible indication. As previously set forth, the printer includes the contact spring 26 and the fixed contact 21, the former of which may be brought into engagement with the-latter by operation of the bell crank lever IS. A suitable battery 55 is provided for actuating the indicator 54 and a return for the battery 55 is provided at the groundin points 56 and 51.

The operation of the device is as follows: An

operator desiring to send a message from the transmitter 50 to be recorded by the receiving printer 52 exercises the remote control by means of which the printer 52, which may be unattended, is set in operation. In order that he may ascertain whether or not'the printer 52 has actually begun to operate, he transmits that predetermined signal which will cause the function bail It to be actuated if the printer is operating properly. Upon the reception of the signal by the printer, the function bail l0 operates the bell crank lever l9, which in turn engages contact spring "with contact 21, thus completing the circuit of the operators indicator 54 and causing that indicator to inform the operator that the receiving printer is functioning properly. The contacts 26 and 21 remain engaged due to the latching of the bell crank lever is by the engagement of its lug 34'with the shoulder 32 of the lever 30. Thus the indicator 54 remains operated until such time as the operator sends a signal which will cause the lever 39 to be operated. If the lever 39 is associated with a spacing operation, it will be necessary for the operator to transmit a spacing signal or a signal representing a character code to disable the indicator 54. If the lever 59 is capable of responding to a function signal such as shift, unshift, line I feed, etc., the indicator 54will be-disabled'upon the reception of one of those signals. The lever 39 may, if desired, be associated with a universal element of the printer which operates in response to any received signal whether it be printing, spacing, or a function so that any signal which the operator may send will disable the indicator 54.

It is to be understood that althougha single embodiment of the invention has been shown in the drawing and described in the foregoing paragraphs, the invention is not limited to that embodiment but is capable of modification and substitution of parts and general reorganization within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a signal receiving apparatus, means re- 75 sponsive to a predetermined signal for establishmote indicating devices, an element responsive to I a predetermined signal, means actuated by the element for operating'said local and remote indicating devices, means for prolonging the operation of the remote indicating .device, and an element responsive to a different signal operable to disable the last mentioned means.

4. In a signal receiving apparatus, an element operable in response to a predetermined signal, a lever actuated by said element for establishing a local indication, a second lever actuated by said element for establishing an indication at a remote point, means for retaining the second lever in its actuated position, and an element responsive to a different signal for disabling the retaining means.

5. In a signal receiving apparatus, means responsive to a predetermined signal for establishing an indication at a point remote from said receiving apparatus, means for prolonging the ated by said element for operating a local one of said indicating devices, a second lever actuated by said element establishing the operation 'of another of said indicating devices, a detent for restraining the second lever from returning to its unoperated position, and an element responsive to a diflerent signal operable to release said.

detent.

7. In a signaling system, a transmitting device, a receiving device, an indicator local to the transmitting device, a circuit connecting the transmitting and receiving devices and including the indicating device, function performing elements local to said receiving device and responsive to predetermined signals, means local to said receiving device for completing said circuit, means responsive to one of said function performing elements for actuating said circuit completing means, means for maintaining said circuit completed, and means responsive to another of said function performing elements, for disabling the last mentioned means.

8. In a signaling system, a transmitting device, a receiving device. an indicator local to the transmitting device, a circuit connecting the trans-, mitting device and the receiving device and including the indicator and a pair of normally open contacts local to the receiving device, function performing elements, local to said receiving device and responsive to predetermined signals, means actuated by one of said elements for closing said contacts, means for maintaining said contacts'closed, and means actuated by another of said elements for disabling the last mentioned means.

9. In a printing telegraphapparatus, an element operable in response to a predetermined signal, an element actuated in conjunction with 10. In a signal receiving system, an indicating apparatus, means responsive to a predetermined signal for exercising control over said indicating apparatus, means for prolonging the response of said control exercising means, and means responsive to another signal for disabling the response prolonging means.

11. In a signal receiving system, an indicator, means responsive to a predetermined signal for controlling said indicator, means for latching the controlling means in its operated phase, and

means responsive to another signal for disabling v the latching means. I

' CHARLES W. BURCKY. 

